In the common hall, Neville and Luna are playing chess. A fire burns in the fireplace. Outside the window, the first snow is slowly falling in large flakes.
"You know, Luna,- Neville says, - sometimes I even think that Trevor is an unusual toad, as if he understands everything. Pawn on E5."
The frog carelessly jumps on the table.
"I think so,- Luna smiles. – Rook on E4. Trevor is truly extraordinary."
Neville's pet, apparently hearing this, begins to do this as if nodding his head. Looking at this guys laugh.
Longbottom's bishop has broken Luna's pawn. The girl remove the debris from the playing board.
"Pawn on D3," she says.
Neville looks out the window.
"What a nice weather today!"
"Soon it will be possible to play snowballs, - the ever-smiling Luna rejoices. – Knight on G3.
"Are we going to finish school soon, - Neville says. - Don't believe it!"
"I can't believe too," Luna smiles even wider.
"Then we throw with snowballs?" suggest Longbottom.
"Yes," Luna nods.
Trevor jump right into her arms.
"I think he definitely likes you," Neville laughs.
"He's cool too!" the girl to pet Trevor.
"Hi Neville. May we come to you?" ask Paige and Will.
"Hey. Have a seat. This is Ravenclaw Luna, - represent Neville,- and this is Sabrina and Enie."
"We've met before," Paige says cheerfully.
"Yes, remember at the station? - pick up Will. - We also confused you ... uh uh .. by accident."
The last she said with a little tension. It is clear why.
"Exactly, - Luna smiles. - You want to play?"
Pieces of chess fly apart. Play Neville and Paige. Play with passion. When they finished the girl exulted:
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Checkmate and stalemate."
"What other pat? - Will ask in bewilderment. - There is no stalemate."
"Don't know. Maybe there is,- says Paige, continuing to rejoice. - That's just the way it is."
"Besides, I think Neville succumbed," Will says.
Luna laughs. Apparently she thought so too.
"Come on! What do you feel sorry for?" Paige waves her hand and accidentally pushed someone's sweater.
It fly up and sleeve to land in the fireplace. Fire immediately dance all over the sweater and move to the carpet. The Muggle girls watch in a daze.
Neville with Luna and a few other students rush to fight the fire.
Welcome to the scene of the deans of the faculties.
"I accidentally,- Paige confessed, justifying herself. - I'm really sorry."
Professor McGonagall looks sternly at the girl.
"I believe you, Miss Grint. But you should be careful, this is far from the first remark, - she says and look at Will who was standing next to her. - Miss Radcliffe, you also have plenty of comments, so I've been around for a while."
They didn't count for a long time. After that, the Muggle girls decided to take a walk and went out into the yard.
"Something we really attract a lot of attention," Will says with annoyance.
"Indeed, - Paige agreed. - But we can't do it any other way, that's how we are!" she laughs.
"Yeah,- Will laughs too. – We'll have to get out every time."
Doors open and Quidditch players from Gryffindor enter the street. They attract the attention of two friends.
"Who is this?What are they doing? " Will be surprised.
Paige shrug. The girls decide to come and take a closer look.
The wind is blowing on the Quidditch field, but it's not snowing anymore.
"Why are we training in this weather? - Ginny doesn't understand. - Besides, Quidditch season isn't open yet."
"Yes indeed," the rest of the team agreed.
"We have to be able to play in any conditions, - Harry says. - The more training, the better. I want our team to become more professional. Any more questions?"
The players shake their heads.
"Then let's get started!"
Team members stand in a line and stretch their arms forward.
"Up!" rise the broom.
"Up!" do the same next.
"Up! Up! Up!" brooms rise one after another.
The Muggle girls, who are nearby, look at each other in admiration.
George armed himself with the beater's arsenal, Harry released his bludgers, Ginny took the quofall. And the team slowly start to climb up. Wind ruffle their hair.
"Super! I want that too!" Will says shocked.
"And I!" Paige says, no less shocked.
Ron took his place as goalkeeper and the ball was released into play. Regardless of the weather, the guys rush over the field.
"Dean to the left," Harry shouts.
"Take care!" hit the Bludger George.
Ginny to pass the ball to Demelza, she, catching it and doing a somersault, deftly send it into the rings.
Ron make a sharp turn and in the last split second catch a quofall.
"Great!" praise Harry.
"Still would! - fly up to him George and right in front of the captain's nose to beat off the Bludger. - Don't lose your vigilance, Harry. Of course, I have to keep an eye on these restless balls, but I promise nothing," says the beater cheerfully, who likes to play in any weather.
"Thank you!" says Harry.
Dean Thomas catch a quafall, Harry try to take it away, and George throw a Bludger at Dean.
Thomas, bending down, let Cathy Bell pass around the circumference. The ball go around Harry and Katie, safely catching it, fly to Ron. Bypassing George and the Bludger, she drops down at the last moment and sends the ball into the rings from below.
Ron, trying to catch him, nearly falls off his broom.
Goll?!
But no! Ron still catch the ball and not let him go into the ring.
By the end of Katie Bell's workout, attack the rings again. And yes! Goll! She hit.
"Amazing! - Praise Harry. - Everyone else is great too."
The ball is back in play. The team and flicker against the background of the sky that plunging into twilight.
Finally Harry says:
"I think that's enough for today."
Players in a straight line slowly go down.
"Great trick, - Demelza says to George, - to launch the Bludger into the wall so that it hits the opponent when it hits."
"Sorry, - George says. - I hope you are well. There seems to be something left of you."
"Yes, it's okay. But I could not even imagine that he would fly at me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that you sent the Bludger in the other direction, so I relaxed."
Guys hide behind the door.
"I…I…I want that too, I want it, I want it," Will gasped.
"It's…it's…it's great. - Paige is also going crazy with emotion. - We need to find out about it."
"How? - ask Will, - There will be suspicions, but we don't need it. And so we "shine" more often and more trenchantly than lanterns."
But the girls did not have to lose heart. Just don't have time.
"Cameron!" visited their insight.
It wasn't difficult to find him. This restless Gryffindor lies in Madam Pomfrey's hospital wing with bruises, abrasions and scratches.
"Can I visit him?" ask the girls.
"Yes, sure. But not for long. It's time to sleep."
"We're fast."
Paige and Will tiptoe over to Cameron's bunk, who is as optimistic as ever.
"Hello."
Will sat on the edge of the bed at Cameron's feet.
"We have business with you," Paige says.
Cameron fully told about everything, spending a minimum of time on it. To rant and go aside, which he always loved, girls did not give him.
"Soon they will begin to select new team members. Everyone can try, personally I will."
"Class! - Will slaps the boy's knees with joy, - we can also ..."
"Oh,oh,oh, - he moans, - you be careful."
"Sorry, Cameron." Will apologize and get out of bed.
Madam Pomfrey is turning to them.
"We're fine," Paige tells her.
The hostess of the hospital wing turns back and continues to adjust his pillows for the convalescent.
The girls get ready to leave.
"Good night to you, Cameron," Will says.
"We'll be back tomorrow," promise Paige.
"Sorry again," Will whispers.
Cameron wave to the departing girls.
Despite the time, students are still hanging around in the corridors. There are also many boys and girls in the common hall. Including George, who emotionally tells something, throwing his arms violently.
Will stops at a portrait of a girl in a white dress combing her long hair with a comb.
"Listen, Paige, the Patil sisters were there, - Will says. One of them promised me a book, I'll go and ask about it."
"Come on, I'm with you," Paige took a step towards the common hall, but Will stopped her by turning her back by the hand.
"No need. I quickly. Just stay here, don't go anywhere. OK?"
"Okay, Will," Paige says, slightly surprised.
The girl, with quick but calm steps, goes to the common hall, however, as soon as she disappears around the corner, she rushes there with lightning.
"George, can I have a minute?" Will asks.
"Certainly."
George come up.
"Your friend asked to call you there,- the Muggle girl says, - he is waiting for you at the portrait of a lady with a comb. And I think it's something very important." Her face becomes very serious.
"Who exactly?" George asks.
Will is a little confused.
"Well ... he is like that - she shows something indefinite in the area of the face.
Weasley looks at Will in disbelief.
"Sabrina, he...?"
"What's the difference? Go! He's already been waiting a long time!"
The girl practically pushes him out into the hallway. And she herself go to the library for a book, despite the late hour which is open.
Madam Pince is there.
"Excuse me, are you open? Can I borrow a book? I really need now." says Will.
"In general, the library is closed at this time, of course. But since I'm late on business, you can take it."
Will take from the rack the first one that comes across.
The librarian, who was sitting behind the counter, adjusts her glasses and takes the thick binding from Will. As soon as Madam Pince glances at the name, her eyes widen.
"Are you sure this is the book you need?"
Will stand on tiptoe to go around the counter and look at the title of the book. Her eyes widen too.
"Oh, no, no, no! This is not that book."
The girl quickly scooped up a book in her armful and ran to the shelves.
"And why is it kept in the library,- Will says angrily, returning the book to its place and taking another one, this time bothering to look at the title, - These are Ancient Runes."
Will, one might say, slam the book onto the counter.
"This one. I wanted to take this book."
Madame Pince, like last time, correct her glasses and take the chosen Will.
"Your name, please."
"Sabrina Grint."
The librarian taps the forms with his wand and flutters out two of its.
"Are you sure?" ask Madame Pince.
"I still can't get used to it, - Will muttered softly. - I speak. I am Sabrina Radcliffe. My friend Enie Grint asked me to take it for her..."
The librarian are having made a note and return the book to Will, who quickly leaves.
"Hermione, where are you looking?" Ron asks.
"What? Nowhere." Hermione looks away from Madam Pince's counter.
Weasley to make dancing people out of paper.
"Ron, I think you've done a good job on this assignment already."
"I'm waiting for you."
Hermione openly smile.
Ron continues to mock the paper. A few minutes later, the excellent student Granger close the book and send it to its place.
"Sorry, we've been sitting too long," Hermione says to Madam Pince.
"It's OK. I always welcome the thirst for knowledge."
During this time, Will has already reached her room, where Amanda is the only neighbor, who is writing something with a pen on parchment. Brown haired Will put the "Ancient Runes" on the bed so that Paige could see that she really went for the book.
"Well, you do!" says Amanda.
"What are you talking about?" not to understand Will.
"About the fire."
"Oh, you already know. Strange school. It seems that you can't hear anyone whispering, but everyone knows everything."
"What to do? - Amanda shrugged. - But it's more fun."
But Paige is really having fun right now. George to show all sorts of funny things. When he came to the portrait, naturally there was only a Muggle girl and no friend.
"Hello, have you seen anyone here? - the guy asked. - They told me they were waiting for me here."
Paige shook her head.
"OK."
They stood in silence, looking around, occasionally glancing at each other.
"Are you waiting for someone here too?" George asked a little later.
"One Friend," Paige looked away.
"Shall we go to the Gryffindor common room? - I don't think anyone will come."
"Let's go to."
And now George plays with fire in the living room with a magic wand, giving it ridiculous shapes. It can even show fiery rain within the fireplace. Weasley had already forgotten about his friend waiting for his portrait of a girl with a comb. Well, good. You know that no one was actually there.